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Dr Blaser said that though most of these infections are harmless, doctors regularly treat patients with antibiotics that change the way the stomach works.

The most recent findings into the subject, he says, contradict the belief that antibiotics have no long-term medical effects - a concern given that the average American child will take between ten and 20 courses of antibiotics before they turn 18.

He told ABC News: 'Antibiotics are
miraculous. They’ve changed health
and medicine over the last 70 years.

'But when doctors prescribe
antibiotics, it is based on the belief that there are no long-term
effects.

We've seen evidence that suggests antibiotics may permanently
change the beneficial bacteria that we’re carrying.'

He added: 'Over time, the scientific community has to create a more narrow spectrum of antibiotics to kill specific organisms and not all bacteria. But we don’t have those yet.'

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